LAW-ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SAY AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT OF THE DAY, NEARLY 50- THOUSAND SEXUAL PREDATORS ARE ONLINE. THEY ARE TROLLING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH VICTIMS IN CYBERSPACE. WISN 12'S JOYCE GARBACIAK JOINS IS HERE WITH A 12 NEWS INVESTIGATION. INSTAGRAM, SEXTING, CHAT ROOMS -- THE VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND KIDS ARE ON TODAY CAN BE A VERY SCARY PLACE -- OUR 12 NEWS INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS THE LATEST THREATS COMING FROM SOMETHING MEANT TO BE CHILD'S PLAY. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 3118 - GAME NOISE CALEB, BRANDON AND CADEN... INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 3122 9:25:17 THEY'RE SO MUCH FUN TO DO THIS WITH... ...NAVIGATE ALL KINDS OF ELECTRONIC GAMES WITH EASE. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 9:29:02 IT'S ABOUT STRATEGY AND I LIKE GAMES THAT HAVE STRATEGY. BUT WHEN PLAYING A FAVORITE GAME RECENTLY .. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 9:27:24 LOOK AT THIS -- THIS IS CRAZY ... ...THE 6TH-GRADERS STUMBLED ONTO TROUBLE. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 3127 9:46:24 ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE'S LIKE, MOM, YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THIS. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 3123 9:31:14 THERE'S THIS PERSON THAT COMES UP AND I DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS AND THE MESSAGE -- IT'S REALLY OFFENSIVE. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 - CLIP 3127 IT WAS SHOCKING WHAT SOMEBODY WOULD ACTUALLY PUT OUT THERE FOR THE KIDS TO SEE. THEY WERE PLAYING CLASH OF THE CLANS -- A FREE, ONLINE GAME THEY HAD DOWNLOADED WITH THEIR PARENTS' PERMISSION. INTERNET ST PAUL 3123 9:28:17 WE WERE LETTING A LOT MORE PEOPLE IN SO WE COULD HAVE A BETTER CLAN. BUT THIS GAME -- LIKE OTHER ONLINE GAMES -- HAS A GROUP CHAT OPTION -- AND SUDDENLY THE BOYS, WHO ARE 11 AND 12, WERE HEARING FROM PEOPLE THEY DIDN'T KNOW. INTERNET ST PAUL 3116 8:50:47 THERE WAS SOME FOUL THERE WAS SOME FOUL LANGUAGE USED, CALLING THEM NAMES, ALSO SOME SEXUAL INNUENDOES THAT WERE USED. INTERNET ST PAUL 3128 9:55:02 THOSE ARE WORDS HE HAS NEVER READ, SEEN OR HEARD. SO FOR ME TO KNOW THAT HE WAS EXPOSED TO THAT JUST BROKE MY HEART. IT MIGHT BREAK YOUR HEART TO KNOW WHAT MAKES THIS STORY UNUSUAL -- THE BOYS ACTUALLY TOLD THEIR PARENTS. STAND UP RESEARCH RELEASED LAST MONTH BY GUARDCHILD AND THE PEW INSTITUTE SHOWS ONE IN FIVE YOUTH -- AGES 10-TO-17 -- WILL RECEIVE AN UNWANTED SEXUAL SOLICITATION ON LINE. BUT 69 PERCENT OF THEM NEVER TELL THEIR PARENTS -- PUTTING THEM AT INCREASED RISK. THESE PARENTS CONFRONTED THE THREAT HEAD ON -- CONVINCING THEIR SCHOOL -- ST. PAUL LUTHERAN IN GRAFTON -- TO HOST A PRESENTATION ON DIGITAL DANGERS. IT WASN'T HARD TO DO -- BECAUSE CALEB'S DAD IS THE PRINCIPAL. NS - ST. PAUL SAFETY SEMINAR 2140 18:55:31 PEOPLE WHO WILL HURT KIDS -- THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT. THE PRESENTER, ERIC SZATKOWSKI WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, TALKED ABOUT THE DIGITAL DARKSIDE -- INCLUDING ONLINE GAMES -- NEW TERRITORY FOR THE NEARLY 50-THOUSAND SEXUAL PREDATORS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS SAY ARE ONLINE AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT OF THE DAY. BULLY ERIC CLIP 3208 16:38:53 THE DANGER IS YOU'RE NOT JUST PLAYING A GAME. MANY TIMES ON THESE PLATFORMS YOU CAN INSTANT MESSAGE BACK AND FORTH WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A PREDATOR TO TRY A GROOMING PROCESS OF GETTING TO KNOW THE CHILD. TO BE SURE, THE EXPLODING USE OF ONLINE GAMES, MOBILE APPS, AND FACEBOOK GIVES PREDATORS EVEN GREATER ACCESS TO KIDS. FOR INSTANCE, POSTING CERTAIN PICTURES ONLINE SEEMS HARMLESS ENOUGH -- BUT... BULLY ERIC CLIP 3208 16:51:32 THERE'S FREE SOFTWARE THAT WILL EXTRACT THE G-P-S COORDINATES FROM WHATEVER YOU POSTED AND LITERALLY PRESENT A MAP OF WHERE THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN. IT'S CALLED GEO- TAGGING, AND IT ALLOWS A STRANGER TO TRACK A CHILD TO THE PLACES THEY GO MOST OFTEN. SZATKOWSKI WANTS TO TEACH KIDS AND PARENTS CAUTION. BULLY ERIC CLIP 3208 16:59:08 NOBODY THINKS IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. AND THAT'S A VERY, VERY DANGEROUS ATTITUDE TO HAVE. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 CLIP 3123 9:32:31 I'M ALOT MORE AWARE. THE MESSAGE HIT HOME WITH THE BOYS -- AND THEIR PARENTS. INTERNET ST PAUL 1 CLIP 3127 9:47:17 IT REALLY OPENED UP MY EYES TO WHAT IS OUT THERE. SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR GROUP CHAT OPTIONS -- CHECK WITH YOUR CHILD TO BE SURE THEY'RE NOT INADVERTENTLY LETTING IN PEOPLE THEY DON'T KNOW. EXPERTS SAY START EARLY WITH WHAT'S EXPECTED OF YOUR CHILD ONLINE -- TELL THEM YOU WANT TO KNOW RIGHT AWAY WHEN SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT. IS THERE A GOOD PLACE TO TURN FOR HELP? YES. SZATKOWSKI RECOMMENDS A BLOG CALLED "YOUR SPHERE FOR PARENTS" -- IT'S A GREAT WAY TO KEEP UP WITH ONLINE THREATS, WHICH CHANGE SO QUICKLY. WE'LL LINK YOU RIGHT TO IT ON OUR WEBSITE, WISN.COM. THAT GEO-TAGGING WAS EYE-OPENING -- IS THERE A WAY TO DISABLE IT? THERE IS. AND IT'S SIMPLE. GO TO WISN.COM AND I'LL WALK YOU ROUGH E STEP-BYTEP OCESS. OD INFORMAOT EP OUR CHILDREN SAFE. ANKS, JOYCE

Gen. David Petraeus pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday to end a probe into whether he provided classified information to his mistress when he was CIA director, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter.